TIP OF THE WEEK

FOOD-SAFETY PRACTICES FOR SPECIAL OCCASIONS

Between planning your upcoming holidays meals, going to the grocery store, arranging your home to accommodate friends and family, and going to other holiday dinner parties, one of the last thing on people’s minds during the holiday season is food safety.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, roughly one in six Americans (about 48 million people) gets sick with a foodborne illness each year. Of those getting sick, 128,000 require hospitalization and 3,000 die.

Here are a few holiday food-safety tips, according to the Oklahoma State University Kerr Food and Agriculture Products Center:

• Shop safely: Buy your meat preferably 1-2 days before you cook it, and keep the meat separated from the fresh produce when bagging.

• Develop a plan: Take into consideration your refrigerator, freezer and oven space to keep hot foods at 140 degrees Fahrenheit or higher and cold foods at 40 degrees Fahrenheit or below. If you use coolers, make sure you have plenty of clean ice and check it frequently to make sure the ice has not melted.

• Avoid cross-contamination: Use two cutting boards: one for preparing raw meat, poultry and fish, and the other for cutting fruits and vegetables, cooked food or preparing salads.

• Wash all produce: Rinse fruits and vegetables thoroughly under cool running water and use a produce brush to remove surface dirt. Even wash prepackaged greens to minimize bacterial contamination.

• Thaw frozen meats safety: Defrost meats in the refrigerator for approximately 24 hours, depending on size, or submerge meat in its original package in a pan of enough cold water to cover the meat and allow 30 minutes for every pound.

• Cook to proper temperature: Use a thermometer to make sure food has been cooked enough to kill bacteria. Turkey, stuffing, side dishes and all leftovers should be cooked to at least 165 degrees Fahrenheit.